A bizarre piece of footage from China shows a group of villagers gathered around what looks like the skeleton of a dragon!
Purportedly found sitting in a field in Zhangjiakou City, the sixty-foot-long oddity sports an ominous-looking horned skull, a pair of dinosaur-like arms, and an incredibly-long body featuring dozens of rib bones.
In a video showcasing the find, amazed residents can be seen and heard congregating around the strange remains with a sense of wonder.
Since the alleged dragon had no sign of any wings, some observers apparently took this to mean that the skeleton was genuine as Chinese lore depicts the legendary creatures without such appendages.
However, skeptics have been quick to note a number of issues surrounding the 'dragon' which suggest there may be some shenanigans at work.
The remarkably well-preserved nature of the remains offer some clue as to the true origin of the creature, because many of the bones appear to actually have come from farm animals.
Additionally, footage and photos of the villagers hopping on the back of the 'dragon' to have their picture taken suggests that the residents knew that the skeleton was fake since they would never be so disrespectful to the remains if it were real.
The prevalent theory as to where the 'creature' may have come from is that it was placed there by pranksters who either crafted it themselves or pilfered a movie prop to pull a fast one of the village.
That said, government officials in Zhangjiakou City have yet to issue any statement regarding a dead dragon found within their jurisdiction, so we'll hold out hope that maybe, just maybe, the creature is real.
To that end, Coast Insiders can hear about dragon lore and the possibility that it really may be a genuine creature by checking out the 2/24/2004 edition of the program featuring Jonathan Downes and Richard Freeman.
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Source: Daily Mail